Forever Of The Sand
by GoodMorningFlower
Summary: Gaara finally meets his soul mate? Gaara looked at Kagetora with disbelief. This girl has no origins? A tale of romance, action, adventure, and comical moments!


**My Naruto Story 2**

The girl stumbled as she ran. Pushing her way out of hidden holes and underground tunnels, she ran as fast and as hard as she could. Her vision was blurred by her tears. She didn't know what she was running from or why she was crying. She just was. She didn't know where she was going, just following her feet where ever they took her. All she knew was that she was running through sand.

There was sand every where. Nothing but sand for miles in each direction. She slipped and fell into a hole. Gasping and choking back her cry she pulled herself up and out. She had twisted her ankle. She laid there in the sand, watching her tears soak into it. Exhausted, the girl rested her head on her arms. She wanted to sleep, but she couldn't. She wanted to get up, but she couldn't. Her long, dark brown hair flowed over her shoulders. A slight breeze blew it out of her face.

Her cut and torn clothes blew softly against her skin in the gentle breeze. Her hazel eyes looked up. The fresh scars and scratches itched at her movement. She sat up and looked down at her ankle. It didn't actually hurt, not any more. She stood up and started walking through the sand. Her cat-like pupils scanning the horizon for someplace to go. Then she saw it, a small village. She picked up speed. _**Maybe they will help me!**_she thought. She started running again. But then just a short distance from the town, her smile and hope faded. _**No, they wouldn't help me. Why would they?**_ The 17-year-old girl turned away and started walking east. There had to be another village some where.

Gaara No Sabaku had been watching this girl for some time now. Watching, with curiosity, this strange girl. He watched her fall and lie in the sand for a few moments before she got up and started running towards his village. He didn't understand it but at the last second her tiny smile faded and she stopped running. He didn't know why, but he felt disappointed. He couldn't help himself. He walked out of his office and went to the villages' gate. He looked out and saw her trudging slowly away, away from the setting sun.

The young girl looked back towards the village. She had felt a strange presence behind her. Sure enough she saw a red haired boy, dressed in red and black, and carried a huge gourd on his back. He was following her at a close distance. A sudden wind came up behind her and her hair, that was dangling down her back, blew upwards and then towards the boy. "What do you want?" she shouted.

The boy, who looked about her age, walked up to her. When they were only a few feet apart, he stopped. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice sounding uninterested. The girl paused. "I am Kagetora Uhisyma (oo-he-seem-a). I'm known as "The Elemental". Who are you?" she looked curiously at the symbol on his forehead. It read "Love". _**Why is that there?**_ "Gaara No Sabaku," he replied, "What is "The Elemental"?" Gaara had heard of this girl before. She was a cast-out her whole life, like he was. She only gave him a curious, disbelieving and distrustful look. "Oh, I think you know who I am, Gaara." was all she said. She turned and started walking east again.

"No" he said, grabbing her shoulder. He wasn't expecting what happened next. In a blur of movement she had grabbed his arm, spun to face him, twisted his arm, then pulled down and then up with all her strength. She had flipped him and he was now lying in the sand, her knee on his chest. She had moved so fast that even his sand, which protects him, didn't have time to react. _**Just what powers does this girl possess to attack me this fast?**_ She glared down at Gaara but fear showed in her movements. She was shaking while she held him down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said calmly.

She got off of him and held out her hand. "I'm sorry too. I didn't mean to do that, it was a reaction. You kinda get used to it when you watch your back your entire life." she explained. Gaara took the offered hand and let her help him up.

For some reason, Kagetora Uhisyma had a good feeling about this boy, Gaara No Sabaku. Not just anyone would bother to stick around after hearing her name or being thrown down like that. "Anyways, in answer to your question, you don't want to know "The Elemental"." She said. Gaara looked her straight in the face and responded, "Yeah, I do. I've heard about your child hood, but I want to hear your story in your own words." Kagetora was shocked. No one had ever asked her this before. When people met her, they were either trying to kill her or running away in fear. She nodded and Gaara led the way back to the Suna Village. She was actually excited that she found someone who would actually talk to her. Uhisyma smiled. _**Is this what they would call, "the beginning of a beautiful friendship"?**_

As Gaara closed his office door behind him, Kagetora was examining the room in fascination. She touched the walls with gentle fingers, feeling their smoothness. She gazed out of his windows at the outside world. All of this was so alien to her. Gaara offered her a seat in front of his desk and she took it. She saw a lone book sitting on his desk. She picked it up hesitantly, opening it up to a random page. There was a picture on one of the pages. Fascinated, she examined the picture with her hazel, cat-slit pupil eyes. Every detail was clear to her. The picture was of two lovers, intertwining themselves. Their fingers were joined and the two seemed to be under water. Their bodies so close and their clothes flowed gently against their skin. Their eyes were closed and their lips were joined in a passionate kiss. Kagetora smiled. It was a beautifully painted picture.

She examined the next page. It was full of text. She scanned it then frowned and set the book back down; she couldn't read. Looking up at Gaara she smiled. "I've never been inside before. I've always lived outdoors." She said, almost explaining her behavior. Gaara raised an eyebrow. _**How did she survive the weather at night? And during the winter?**_ "Tell me, from the beginning, how you came to be here," he asked quietly. He was actually quite intrigued. She looked up into Gaara's quiet, distant eyes. "Why? Why do you want to know about me? I shouldn't tell you because you will hate me, like everyone else does." She said, looking down at the book on his desk.

"As I am your host, I am required to know at least a little bit about my quest. So please, I would really like to know about you," he asked. For once, he actually wanted to know and understand a person. Gaara watched as her brown cat-like eyes lit up. "Ok, but you can't hate me after, 'cause you wanted to know!" she said, she just didn't want to make yet _another_ enemy. "Understood," he replied.

"Where would you like me to start?" she asked. _**Maybe this boy will be my first friend?**_ His voice cut into her thoughts, "From the time of your birth. I want to know the major events in your life. Your home village, your parents, skill levels, and levels of schooling." Kagetora didn't know what he meant. Parents? Skill levels? Levels of schooling? "I don't have any of those. I don't have a home village, or parents. I've never had any schooling, and I wouldn't know about skill levels," she explained.

Gaara looked at Kagetora with disbelief. _**This girl has no origins?**_ "Well, where were you born? _How_ were you born?" he asked in amazement. She looked at Gaara in shock; she thought everyone knew about her. "I was born in and from the elements. Wind, water, fire, earth, metals, lighting, and animals. I was born in all of them and created from them. That's why people fear me; because I can control all elements," she stated in a matter-of-fact voice.

_**This would explain why she is known as "The Elemental".**_ "Do you travel across different countries?" he asked. _**She must know every technique ever created.**_ "Yeah, I've traveled to almost every country. And every place I've gone to, I've been cast out. Beaten, threatened, taunted, laughed at. And whenever I've helped someone, they've run away screaming that I was killing them," she said, hurt in her cat eyes. Gaara felt her suffering. He had gone through the exact same thing. "You are welcome here, as long as you aren't a spy or terrorist," he said, making an effort to help her.

She smiled. "Do you honestly believe that someone would employ me? And I don't have an evil heart, so I wouldn't be able to do any of those things," she said slowly. She had accepted the fact that she was a cast-out, but it didn't mean that the hurt had gone away. "Anyways, _you_ may accept me, but that doesn't mean that your villagers will." Gaara knew that she spoke the truth. He thought back to his childhood. How alone he had been his entire life. _Just imagine what it was like for her…not even a home village or parents._ Gaara felt pity and sorrow for Kagetora. His eyes softened as he looked at the girl infront of him. She looked so delicate, but he knew otherwise.

Kagetora sensed the atmosphere of the room lighten up and she looked at Gaara. His posture had softened and so did his eyes. A sudden flash of anger flared through her. "I don't need your pity. I'm doing just fine, thank you," she said, her voice had a sharp edge to it. The rooms' atmosphere changed instantly, from calm and melancholic to tense and sinister. Gaara stiffened as he watched her every move; he didn't want to get thrown down again. "I didn't mean to offend you. I just know how you feel. I've been through the same thing," Gaara said, trying to save himself.

"Were you a cast-out too?" she asked, her mood changing instantly to happy again. Gaara smiled a small smile that was barely noticeable. _**Her mind changes easily, despite everything she's been through. Her heart changes fast and she's quick to trust and make friends.**_Then his smile faded, _**that could mean trouble on her part**_ "I had a sand demon inside me. Because of this, my village has always feared me. They have sent assassins, ridiculed me, and even now, many of them don't trust me. I understand your anger and solitude," he explained. She looked down, "At least you have a home and friends," she muttered. "What?" Gaara asked.

Kagetora looked up, smiled and waved her hand as if dismissing what she just said, "Oh, it's nothing. Anything else you want to know about me?" she asked, brushing off her earlier comment. Gaara thought for a moment. A few more things crossed his mind. "Where were you, before you came here?" he asked, examining her torn and bloody clothes, the stiffness of her movements, and the cuts and bruises covering her small body. This angered him. She shouldn't have to suffer like that. Kagetora noticed that he looked at her condition and she didn't want to get anyone into trouble so she lied. She blinked and looked away from his stare, "I don't remember," she said quietly.

Gaara paused. Was she lying? She looked away which is a sign of guilt and dishonesty. "You sure? Don't you remember their faces?" She had to remember _something_. All she did was shake her head. "No, sorry. They went by so fast and I didn't even bother to fight back," she said, pretending to be fascinated by the book sitting on his desk.

_**She gets beaten so much that she's given up fighting back?!**_ Gaara's anger flared. _**No one deserves a life like that!**_ Gaara had to admit though, while his life was harsh, hers was devastating. He had the sand to protect him, with or without his chakra control. She had nothing besides her powers. Not that she would fight back with her powers or anything else anyways. "Well, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to set up a test for you. I just want to see your techniques and level of skill. Also your chakra levels, if that's ok?" he asked. He really wanted to know how powerful this girl was.

She gazed at him with blank and confused eyes. "Techniques? Chakra?" she asked. She had never heard of these things before. Now it was Gaara's turn to be confused. "Aren't you trained in some way to control your energy source? What techniques do use to protect yourself?" he asked, how did she control the elements without chakra or techniques? She raised an eyebrow, "I'm not a shinobi, if that is what you are referring to. My energy source is my life force, if it is called chakra then so be it, I just didn't know. And if by techniques you mean hand signs and specific words you use to control your power, then yeah, I have techniques," she said, trying to make sense of the situation.

Gaara nodded. This made more sense. She wasn't trained in anyway or schooled, so this had logic. "So is it ok if I test your strength?" he asked again. The girl paused to think, and then she nodded, making her hair fall forward. "It's ok. But will you test me, or will you find someone in the village to fight me? Because if it's someone from the village I highly doubt they will fight me willingly," she stated. Gaara knew that he would find someone in the village; he actually wanted to use his older sister, Temari. "I can find someone," he smiled.

In an empty training field, Kagetora stood near the wall. She was in the shadows. As soon as she had left Gaara-Sama's office, she had gotten into trouble. Some people had been standing there, wanting to see the strange new visitor. When she stepped out, people instantly gasped, grabbed their children and loved ones and went home. And Kagetora didn't doubt that they would lock their doors and bar their windows. She walked quickly through the silent, dead streets. Occasionally, a child would run out to meet her, but then the parent would come shortly after and grab their child and run away again. From hiding, some adults would throw their food at her. She had to run fast through those streets.

Finally she had made it here, and she regretted coming here, to the Suna village, with Gaara-Sama. She scanned the area, her slit pupils narrowing when she saw 3 people coming closer. She stiffened but then relaxed as she saw Gaara and 2 others. She stepped forward into the light to meet them. "Any trouble coming here?" Gaara asked. Unwilling to make enemies here, she lied again, "No, none at all. But the streets seem quiet here." A boy, who seemed older than Gaara, spoke up, "Brother, why am I here? I thought you just wanted Tem to fight this girl," he paused and looked at Kagetora, measuring her strength by her appearance. "I don't think she will be much of a challenge," he said bluntly, "you won't need me."

Kagetora glared at the boy. He had purple paint on his face and he looked like a black kitty with his hat and black clothing. The tall, blonde girl laughed and cuffed the boy on his head. "Play nicely, Kankuro. Who knows, Gaara thinks she's strong. And we know how Gaara is. Maybe this will be fun!" she said, she was obviously looking forward to her match. Gaara spoke up, "Kagetora Uhisyma, this is my elder sister, Temari No Sabaku. Tem, this is Kagetora Uhisyma. And this," he said, jerking a thumb at the boy behind him, "is my elder brother, Kankuro."

The blond girl, known as Temari, stepped forward and stretched out her hand, "Hey! So you're Kagetora Uhisyma huh? Nice to meet you! Can't wait till our match." She definitely was enthusiastic according to Kagetora. She shook Temari's hand and smiled. "Yeah, I can't wait either! But my name is kinda long, you can all call me Tora," she said, a little bit scared. Kankuro laughed. He was about to make a comment on her name when Temari walked over and slapped him, "Be nice! She's our guest, don't torture her with your lame jokes, got it?!" Gaara smiled another tiny smile. Tora giggled. Kankuro just rubbed his cheek and glared at his elder sister.

"Ready to begin?" Gaara asked. Temari nodded and walked to one side of the training field. Gaara walked into the center, he was going to start the battle. Kankuro stood off to the side, well out of their attack range. Kagetora stood opposite from Temari and waited. "The rules: 1- you are not to kill each other, this includes no blood 2- when you can't fight back just say "Yield" and the fight will be over 3- no shouting out mean things to provoke the other and 4- no summoning jutsu's. Tem, that means no weasel, got it? We aren't enemies here," he said, making the rules clear. Tora nodded and faced Temari. Tem glared at Gaara then nodded. Facing Kagetora she bent down low, getting ready to pull out her fan.

"Begin," Gaara shouted. He jumped backwards and landed near Kankuro. Instantly Temari whipped out her giant, Three Mooned Fan and slammed it into the ground infront of her. The ground shook with the impact and Tem grinned. This showed her strength and brutality. Kagetora just stood there and watched Temari. Tem scowled. Wasn't this girl going to do anything? Tem pulled out some kunai and threw them at the girl, hoping she would attack back. Kagetora moved so fast; she grabbed all of the kunai out of the air and threw them with blinding speed back at Tem.

Shocked at her speed and surprise attack, Tem opened her fan and crouched behind it. She heard the kunai crashing into it. And to her surprise Kagetora was standing on top of her fan, looking down at her. Tem jumped back and away from her fan. _**How did she move so fast?!**_Temari steadied herself and instantly thought of a plan. _**Maybe Tora can do long range as well as short range attacking. There isn't too much to know about this girl, she hasn't used a technique yet. **_Kagetora was examining Temari's iron fan. She seemed fascinated by its structure. She placed her hands on it, preparing to lift its great weight.

Temari laughed, "You won't be able to pick that up, little girl. It's way too…" she was cut off as Kagetora had picked up the fan in one hand and waved it towards Tem. A great gust came at Tem and she was caught off guard. She flew backwards and just as she was about to hit a tree, she turned in the air and landed on the tree with her feet. _**This girl is amazing. She didn't even say a jutsu. And what incredible strength!**_ "Rule 1 of combat, don't ever underestimate your opponent, no matter their size or appearance," Tora said coolly.

She closed the great fan and tossed it at Tem, "You'll need this," she said. Catching it, Tem glared at her opponent. Kankuro was laughing in the background. His elder sister just got owned by a 17 year old kid. And Tem was 21! Tem must've been embarrassed. He laughed harder; in fact, he was rolling on the ground laughing. Temari turned towards him and opened her great fan, "Try laughing now, dumb ass!" she shouted at him. Almost instantly he stopped laughing. Then he watched as Kagetora came up behind her and tapped her shoulder. Shocked, Temari turned around to face Tora, but she wasn't there.

Tem felt another tap on her shoulder. She whirled around but no one was there. And again, someone tapped her shoulder. Getting fed up Tem opened her fan and swung it around her body. It didn't hit anything. Tem crouched low and watched everything around her. "Hey, you plan on attacking me anytime soon?" Tora asked from behind Tem. Temari whirled around with a kunai in hand, "Gotcha!" The clash of metal on metal sounded in the training field. Tem and Tora had locked together, hilt to hilt, with their kunai. "Rule 2 of combat; never lose sight of your enemy. There were at least 10 different times were I could have killed you," Tora said, her face straight and unemotional. Tora pushed down on Tem, forcing her to back up. Temari couldn't believe the brute force of her strength. She wasn't even breaking a sweat! Tem pushed at Tora then jumped back, hoping to buy her-self time.

It didn't work. Tora followed her, kunai in one hand and a fist in the other. Tem crossed her arms infront of her face and braced herself for the blow. In one swift, twirling movement, Tora punched Tem's stomach, turned to Tem's right and kicked out; hitting Tem's knees with bare feet, then kept turning to Tem's right. Tora's left leg now made contact with Temari's stomach and sent her flying backwards.

Tem was shocked at the speed and strength behind the attack. She was bracing herself for her impact with a wall or a tree. But it never came. The instant Tora kicked Tem, she ran after her. Tora caught Tem just before she hit a tree and now set Tem on her feet. "You ok? I didn't mean to hit you that hard," Tora apologized, eyes wide and had "Sorry" written in them. Temari nodded. _**She didn't mean to hit me that hard? That means she was going easy! Imagine her strength if she actually went full force?! Wow, I can't believe it. Just what is this girl?**_ Temari thought that it was best she stopped now. She didn't want to be accidentally killed. "Yield," she said, pulling away from Tora.

Kagetora's heart sank. She just scared another person. Maybe she should just leave. Kagetora turned away from the 3 siblings and was about to walk away when she saw a huge crowd of people barring her path. _**Great, people saw me. Now is the time to be leaving, before they start throwing weapons at me,**_ she thought. But when Tora looked at their faces, they weren't of fear or hatred. They were of respect and excitement. _**What? This doesn't make sense. They were throwing food at me a little while ago!**_ The villagers saw her obvious confusion and one of them stepped forward.

"We never imagined there would be someone to beat Temari. It was amazing! And for what it's worth, we are sorry. We thought you were going to invade our village, like all the stories and rumors said. Forgive us?" the man said. He knelt down and bowed low. The hundreds of people behind him did likewise. "Please, don't bow to me. I don't deserve that kind of respect. I just want to know, why your sudden change of heart? I mean, I thought you would all hate me more after my match with Temari-Sama," Tora said, completely confused.

The man infront of her stood up and beckoned the others to do the same. They stood as he talked to Tora, "We have never seen someone of your talent. You would be a great ally, and we would be honored if you would call this village, your home," he said. Tora frowned. _**Is this an illusion? Are these people real? This is a cruel trick.**_ Tora reached out and touched the man's chest. He looked confused but he didn't go away. Neither did the villagers. Tora took a step back, only to be met with someone else. She looked up. It was Gaara. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't sense you, I didn't …" she was cut off by the man behind her.

"Gaara-Sama, will you make this girl my wife?" the man asked. Still facing Gaara, Tora's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She spun around in anger to face the man with a huge grin on his face. "What…did you just say?" she growled. Her cat eyes were narrow and were glaring at the man. Gaara was equally angry. He felt protective of her for some reason. He looked at the man who had grabbed Kagetora's hand. The man had spiky red hair, dark green eyes, and a sharp and elvish looking face. Broad shouldered and nearly 6'2", he was taller than Gaara but Gaara still had more strength.

Gaara pushed Tora behind him and stood infront of her, his arms crossed. He glared at the man with cold, hating eyes. "You have no right to just marry any random woman you meet. She must be willing to marry you and love you back. Though, if any woman were willing to love you I'd be amazed," he stated in a calm yet deadly voice. The crowd laughed and giggled at Gaara's remark. "What's your name?" he asked the man. "Yokubou Yuuki," he said, fuming in anger.

Kankuro laughed. "His name! It's hilarious!" he said, trying to explain his laughter. "Yokubou means desire and Yuuki means courage. So he had the courage to desire Kagetora," he explained. He burst out laughing again at his own lame joke. Temari, though, actually smiled and giggled quietly to herself. The crowd was laughing nearly as hard as Kankuro was. Kagetora was giggling, trying to suppress an outburst of laughter, and Gaara had an actual real smile on his face.

Yokubou's face was a bright red and he glared at Kankuro. If looks could kill, Kankuro would have died a thousand deaths. "Yuuki," Gaara started, still smiling, "maybe you should try dating someone before you picked a random girl to wed. Sound good? And make sure they actually love you, not just pity you," he said, trying to keep a straight face.

Again, the crowd laughed, Kankuro was crying he was laughing so hard, Tem giggled softly, and Gaara smiled. Yokubou looked like he was about to punch Gaara. Kagetora stepped forward and placed a hand on Yokubou's chest. "Don't listen to them. They don't understand the courage it takes to go up and ask something like that. It's ok," she said, trying to calm him down. Gaara's smile faded as he watched her trying to comfort Yokubou. Yokubou's face instantly softened as he looked at Tora.

"Thanks, Kagetora. That means a lot coming from you," he said, his anger completely gone. He leaned down. Gaara raised an eyebrow and his anger flared. Kagetora raised her hand up to Yokubou's mouth just as he was about to kiss her. He opened his eyes to see her hand. He blushed and grabbed her hand. He pulled it down as he leaned in again. Gaara stepped in and pulled Kagetora behind him. Yokubou ended up kissing Gaara's chest. "Can't you let me show my love and compassion?!" Yokubou shouted, throwing his arms up in the air, showing his frustration.

Yet again, Kankuro was rolling on the ground laughing. This time Temari actually laughed and Gaara made a small noise that could have been a giggle. Kagetora felt sorry for Yokubou Yuuki. His anger and embarrassment flared up again. Tora grabbed his hand and softly and quickly kissed his cheek. He flushed a deep crimson and his jaw dropped. He looked at her, expecting an explanation. "I'm sorry. You seem like a nice guy but, I don't plan on marrying or dating anyone, any time soon," she explained. "Yokubou-Sama? Are you ok?" she asked leaning over him. He had fainted and was lying unconscious on the ground.

"I'll take him home," said a younger boy. Yokubou was obviously in his twenties but this boy seemed to be around 18 or 19. His messy brown hair came down over his forehead. His bright pale blue eyes glittered in the late sunlight. He had a thin frame but Kagetora could tell that he was strong. His clothes were in just as bad of shape as hers was. They were cut and torn in various places. His long, dark brown, tunic was kept in order by a worn out leather belt. He was wearing black pants and had bare feet like Tora did. He bent down to pick Yokubou up.

"You're such an idiot, Uncle. You always do this to your-self," the boy muttered. He slung his Uncle's arm over his shoulder and his arm went around Yokubou's waist, supporting him, as he trudged off. Kagetora felt a sudden impulse to follow him. She trotted off after him, hoping he would let her follow him. "Hey, is he gonna be ok?" she asked, catching up to him. The boy looked at her. "Uh, yeah, he's fine. This happens daily, but usually he gets slapped, not kissed," he said looking forward again.

He walked down many twists and turns through the Sunagakure. It was a maze that anyone foreign to the village could get lost in. But Kagetora was memorizing the path easily. "So what's your name?" she asked, breaking the silence. "Kibou Yari. I didn't get to hear yours," he said, stealing a glance at the girl. Kagetora thought, _**his name is quite beautiful. Kibou means hope and Yari is lily or dependence. Hope Lily. Lily of Hope. **_She looked at him. _**Yeah, he looks like the type to never give up.**_ "I like your name," she smiled, "I'm Kagetora Uhisyma." Kibou glanced at her. He thought, _**her name is unique. Kage on its own means Shadow, and Tora means Tiger, but combined like that it means Dominant. And her last name, Uhisyma, U means help, hi means light, sy means rapid, ma means pure. But together it all means protector. It's the same as Shugosha, which means protector. Dominant Protector. Yeah, very unique. **_

He blushed and looked away. She had a fairly cute face. This was a strange feeling to him, he never did like girls. "You ok? Do you have a fever? Your face is red," Kagetora asked. "No, I'm fine," he replied curtly. Kagetora slowed her pace a little. _**Does he hate me too?**_ But she still followed him. They finally reached a small hut-like home. Kibou opened the door and dragged his Uncle inside. He held the door open for Tora. Hesitantly she walked inside. "Thanks," she muttered.

The hut looked bigger on the inside then it did on the outside. It was large and roomy. When she first walked in, she stood inside a fresh kitchen, sporting clean and modern appliances. When she walked farther in she stood in a small but cozy living room. There were two small couches and a small television set. Kibou set Yokubou down on one of the couches and walked down a hallway that was to the right. She followed him. The house so far seemed to be made of all wood. The hallway seemed dark and had a closed in feeling to it. Kibou took another right turn, a little further down the hallway. Once he was out of the hallway, Tora could see all the way to the end of the hallway. At its end, there was another door.

She turned right, into the room that Kibou went through. It looked like the guest room. It had a freshly made bed sitting in a far corner. There were bright, oak dressers and a maple nightstand decorating the room. She smiled, it was a cozy room. Then she saw two doors across from her. One on the right and one on the left. She took the one on the left. It opened to a small bathroom. It was tight fitting but it still held a bathtub, toilet, and sink. When she walked in there was a door to her right. Not knowing what was behind it, she knocked. "Yeah?" came the answer. It was Kibou. "Uh, I'm lost. Your house is weird," Tora replied, hoping that he would help her. The bathroom door opened and Kibou stood there. He wasn't wearing a shirt but he held one in his hand. _**He must have been changing.**_ "I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, looking away from his muscular torso. His baggy tunic hid the muscles, but they were clearly defined. Anyone could tell that he worked hard.

"It's ok," he said, amusement in his voice, "the guest room and my room having a connecting bathroom. And the door you see there," he pointed at the only other door in the room, "that would be the door on the right side of the guest room, because there is limited space in here," he explained, turning back into his room. Kagetora followed him in and looked around. Kibou's room, like every other room, was made of wood. He had a bed that looked like it could fit two, small people. His dresser was tall and, not surprisingly, was a dark wood that matched the walls. A small mirror was leaned against a wall, beside a small painter's easel. It held a near-finished painting of a young girl sitting on a rock near a river. Fascinated as she was by paintings or any artwork, Kagetora walked over to it and examined it with narrowed pupils.

It was creatively done. The lines weren't solid. It looked like a sketch, but instead of charcoal or lead, it was in paint. The girl's form was clearly womanly figured. Her curves were hugged by her tight fitting kimono. One of her legs was dangling softly in the water, making it ripple. The forest and mountain background added the perfect feeling of solitude and peace. "This is beautifully done. Did you do this?" she asked. Kibou put a new shirt on and looked at his painting. He nodded, "Yeah, but I can't seem to finish it. There's just something there that doesn't quite feel right," he said, walking over to her. He put his leather belt back on and examined the painting.

"Do you like art?" he asked, staring at his painting. "Yeah, I love art. It's probably because I can see it and feel it more clearly than others," she replied. He looked at her, confused. "I'm an Elemental. I was born from all the Elements. Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Lighting, Metals, and Animals. So I feel like I could blend in with the paintings. I feel the water ripple," she said, gently brushing her fingers against the painted river water, "I feel the gentle breeze, blowing over the mountains," she brushed her fingers over the forest covered mountains, "and I feel her happiness yet loneliness," she said touching the girl in the painting, then pulling away.

Kibou was intrigued. _**Someone who was born from the elements? She's probably the only person in the world who can understand art and feel like she's part of it. **_He watched as she walked away from him and his painting and she went to his door. "I'm sorry. I've intruded long enough. I must go back to Gaara-Sama," she said as she opened his room door and entered the guest room. Kibou looked back his painting and cried out at what he saw. The girl in his painting had moved. Instead of looking out at the scenery, her face was hidden in her hands and her shoulders shook in quiet sobs. The wind blew horribly, bending the distant trees nearly in half and whipping the girls' hair around. The river was full of white caps and crashed upon the rocks where the girl sat. She was soaked.

But almost as soon as he saw the sad, depressing picture, it had vanished and was replaced with his original painting again. The girl was starring out at the distant mountains and forests, her leg dipping in the water. He backed away from his painting, scared. He ran out of his room and into the guest room. Kagetora wasn't there. He ran out into the hallway and turned left, going into the living room. She wasn't there either. He turned left again into the kitchen, he saw her leaving through the front door.

"Wait!" he called out. The door slammed closed. "So, you lost her too huh?" Yokubou said. He was leaning against the counter, grinning. "Shut up you pervert! I didn't lose her, she just…" he paused, what did she do? She touched his painting and it changed completely. "Sure, so you called, 'Wait!' for no reason, right?" Yokubou said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Listen, you may be my Uncle and the one I live with, but you don't understand me at all. Or girls for that matter!" Kibou shouted. He ran out of the house. He looked down the street. There were too many twists and turns to see her now. He looked up, _**I can see her if I'm up higher.**_ He jumped onto his roof and jumped roof-top to roof-top.

He went the way he took earlier. He still didn't see her. He gave up looking down streets and decided he would go back to the training grounds. Jumping down into the field, he looked around. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT?!" a voice thundered. Kibou looked behind him, and a puppet with a hollow torso was coming at him. He yelled and jumped out of the way. "Stop moving!" a girl voice shouted. He did as he was told and he was suddenly grabbed from behind and was lifted into the trees.

Kibou looked up into Kagetora's face. She was looking out into the training clearing. "You ok?" she asked. He stood up and looked down at Tora. "Yeah, but who just attacked me?" he asked, looking into the clearing. "That attack wasn't meant for you. Kankuro-Sama and I are training. I had jumped into the trees just as you entered the clearing and Kankuro-Sama had sent his puppet to go after me, but you got in the way," she explained. Kibou was about to apologize to her when she stood up quietly and whispered, "Stay here."

She jumped from the tree branch and landed softly in the clearing. Her waist-length, dark-brown hair flowing gracefully behind her. Instantly, Kankuro attacked her. Karasu came at her, clicking in its fast moving glory. It swooped at Kagetora with two of its limbs detached. They were sharp daggers embedded within the wood. Kagetora hit the blades away with her bare hands at the last second, and then jumped into the air, just above Karasu. Kankuro, realizing the puppets danger, tried pulling him away, but was too late. Kagetora crashed down onto the puppet and broke it into bits, but she didn't fully crush it, she just detached all of the limbs.

Smiling, Kankuro moved his fingers in complicated patterns. The chakra strings attached to his fingers manipulated the limbs of Karasu. But when he moved a finger, Karasu didn't move. Confused, he tried pulling Karasu back to him. Nothing moved. He tried a different attack angle, "Dokugiri Zuyoku: Baribari Shikaku Renpatsu! (Poison Fog: Blind Spot Destroyer)." He shouted. The technique worked, to Kankuro's satisfaction.

Karasu's head started spraying a poisonous smokescreen and Kuroari, his hollow puppet, started shooting out poisoned needles at Kagetora. She disappeared in the smokescreen for a while. Kibou was worried. Not even he could dodge the amount of needles fired. He watched impatiently as the smoke started clearing. Kankuro just had a huge smile on his face. Gaara was about to check on Kagetora when the clearing echoed a strong shout, "Return Technique: Full Force!" Then the smoke cleared, only to reappear around Kankuro. Caught off guard, Kankuro reacted too slowly. Then the poisoned needles that were lying on the ground near Kagetora lifted themselves in the air and hurled themselves with breakneck speed at Kankuro.

Kagetora stood where she did before. She hadn't moved an inch. Her arms were crossed and she had a thoughtful expression on her face. "AH!" Kankuro screamed out in pain. A few needles had hit him. Kagetora's face instantly changed to one of fear. She raised a hand and shouted, "Cease Fire!" She ran into the smokescreen to Kankuro. "Kai! (Release!)." she shouted. The smokescreen was gone instantly and Gaara, Tem, and Kibou could see Kankuro lying on the ground. His body was riddled with needles.

His eyes were closed in pain and he scowled. "I'm so sorry Kankuro-Sama! Hold on, this may hurt," she said, holding her hands over Kankuro's body. Not saying a word, she raised her hands up in a fast movement. Every needle that was in his body raised up with her hands. "GAH! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" he shouted. Kagetora looked hurt as she clenched her fist. The needles disappeared in a puff of smoke. Placing her hands over Kankuro's body again, she muttered in a foreign tongue, "Quin est si yat morek lokya rehd few." Kankuro glowed earthy colours, blues, greens, browns, and whites. Tora's face was concentrating on healing Kankuro. Then she sighed and let her hands fall.

Kankuro sat up then jumped away quickly, away from Kagetora. She looked down, hurt. Kibou jumped down, next to Kankuro and blew a fuse. "How could you be mad at her? For the love of God, she just did the same attack as you did! She would have been in the same state as you if it weren't for her protection! And didn't she say she was sorry?! She healed you didn't she? The least you could do is say Thanks! I mean can't you just…" he shouted, but was cut off. "Enough," Tora whispered.

Kibou looked back at her. "What?" he asked, shocked that she wasn't standing up for herself. "Don't worry about it, Kibou-Sama. I understand his anger and fear. It's all I ever get, so I'm used to it," she said quietly, standing up and turning away. "I'm sorry I attacked you like that, Kankuro-Sama, I just don't know all your strength's and weaknesses. And judging by what just happened, you aren't immune to your own attacks. But I can tell when I'm not wanted. I recognize the fear and hatred emanating from you," she said, starting to walk away.

"I'm not afraid," Kankuro said indignantly. Kagetora looked back at him, a dark eyebrow raised. "Oh, really?" she asked, sarcasm in her voice. Then in an instant she was gone. She then flashed right infront of Kankuro. Taken by surprise, he yelled and jumped back, covering his face with his arms. Kagetora giggled. "Oh, yes Kankuro-Sama. You aren't afraid, being the brave little kitty that you are," she said, reaching up to pat Kankuro's "Cat Hat." He scowled, "I'm not a kitt-," he paused and cleared his throat, "I'm not a cat!" he said, correcting himself. He grabbed her hand and pushed her away.

With wide, sad eyes she backed away from the mad Kankuro. His loose black shirt fluttering in the tense breeze. Kagetora took another step back; she actually felt scared of this boy. She bumped into someone standing behind her. She whirled around and to her relief it was only Gaara. His arms were crossed and he was glaring at his brother. "What's your name, boy?" Gaara asked, not looking away from Kankuro. Kibou paused, "Uh, Kibou Yari, Kazekage-Sama," he replied respectively. Gaara nodded.

"Yari-San has a point, Kankuro. This is training, and that's all she was doing. You know the risks of being over-confident. She also saved your life from your own poison. The least you could do is be grateful she even helped you after you attacked her like that," he said, backing up what Kibou had said earlier. Kankuro growled. "I don't have to like this girl, or that other kid for that matter," he said, glaring at Kibou, "Why the hell would you accept a girl like that into our village anyways? She's obviously a threat!" he finished. His eyes burned into Kagetora's body. She leaned back, closer to Gaara.

She was hurt by his words. Just when she thought they could be friends, it was turned around on her, yet again. Leaning on Gaara, she fought back her tears, holding her arms close infront of her body. Gaara looked down at her. He couldn't see her face but he could tell she was nearly crying; her body was shaking and her back was stiff. Gaara didn't know what to do. He looked back at his brother and glared. Kankuro was hurting Kagetora, and he wouldn't allow it.

Just as Gaara was about to say something mean to Kankuro, Tem walked forward to stand infront of Kankuro, blocking his view of the small girl. Kibou did like wise; he stood just infront of Kagetora. None of them were going to let Kankuro go on a rampage on this girl. Kankuro's face went from angry to shocked and disbelieving. "You're going to protect this girl? Are you guys under some kind of genejutsu? She's probably more powerful then Gaara and the other Kage's put together! She's a freak of nature! Not one that I want walking around here in Sunagakure," he said, shouting his frustration.

Gaara and Tem scowled. Kagetora just looked away. _**He's right. I don't belong here. I'm just bringing trouble to this village and I haven't even been here for a whole day!**_ Kibou couldn't take anymore. Furious, he pushed past Tem and stood nearly face-to-face with Kankuro. "You know what your problem is? You're a sore loser! She beat you in training and saved your life and you're against that. Or maybe you're just mad 'cause she's a girl and she's stronger than you. Bet that pisses you off doesn't it? What's your problem?! She's just another normal girl. The only difference is that she has a special gift, and she doesn't even want to use it. She's concerned about other people, so can't you just shove off and…" his loud lecture was cut off by Kankuro. He sent Kuroari after Kibou.

"Look out!" Kagetora shouted. She instantly went from near-crying to scared and protective. Kibou tried to jump out of Kuroari's way but wasn't quick enough. Kibou braced him-self for the impact with the hollow puppet. Just at the last second he was shoved out of the way. Looking up from his place on the ground he saw that the puppet was standing there, its hollow torso closed. It had captured someone else. Temari jumped at Kankuro, "Let her go, you baka!" she yelled, throwing open her fan.

Gaara's sand poured out of the gourd on his back. His face was twisted in a mean scowl as he maneuvered his sand to cover the puppet. "Stop, Gaara-Sama!" came a muffled shout from inside Kuroari. Gaara's sand paused, not knowing what to do. Then, out of no where, knives came at Kuroari with blinding speed. They were going to enter the slots in his body to kill Kagetora. Gaara couldn't react fast enough and the blades slammed themselves into Kuroari. "NO!" Gaara and Kibou shouted in unison. Temari shouted, "Futon: Tatsu No Oshigoto! (Wind Release: Severing Pressure)." A huge rush of wind flew at Kankuro.

He tried to jump away but the wind held him down. Picking up stones and branches, Tem's wind started slicing at Kankuro's body. Bloody scratches now etched his body in various places. When the wind died down he smiled and looked at Kuroari. "You know, she's probably dead right?" he said, looking at Kibou and Gaara. They just stood there, starring at the puppet that was riddled with daggers. Just then Kuroari burst apart. His limbs and his body were in bits and pieces. Kagetora was there in his place. She had one knee braced on the ground and her arms and hands were outstretched.

Then she flashed out. She was gone in an instant. Kibou looked around in amazement. _**Where did she go?**_ Gaara glared at Kankuro. He had seen bloody scratches on Kagetora's back. They were deep and long, bleeding heavily. But Kankuro didn't have time to make a comment to Gaara. He fell to the ground face first. Standing behind him was Tora. She was standing in an attack position; legs spread apart, bracing her-self. One arm was drawn back to her chest and one was outstretched. The outstretched arm glowed earthy colours, but the colours were more brown.

Tora lifted her head, "I hate people like this," she muttered. She stood up straight and brushed some dirt off of her shirt and pants. Temari looked down at Kankuro. "Is he gonna be ok?" she asked. Kagetora nodded and turned to Gaara. "Gaara-Sama, I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused. I should leave, for the safety of your village and its people," she said, bowing to him. She turned away and nodded to Kibou. He stood up and grabbed Tora's hand. "You can't go. You shouldn't let Kankuro-San's words get to you. You aren't a burden to anybody," he said quickly. He wanted an explanation for his paintings sudden movement.

Kagetora just looked at Kibou as if he was saying absolute alien things to her. "What? I'm leaving because I have other things to do. I really don't belong here," she said. She just wanted to get away from Kankuro. When he wakes up, he's gonna be in a murderous mood. Kagetora looked up towards the sky, her eyes were filled with longing. Longing to be free. She pulled away from Kibou slowly, looking down and away from his face. She backed away.

She tripped and fell backwards, crashing into Gaara. He caught her around the waist and blushed. He had never been this close to a girl before. "Y-you ok?" he asked, setting her on her feet. She turned to look at Gaara. Seeing his red face she smiled thinly. "I'm sorry, Gaara-Sama but, I really must leave," she said, looking away. She turned away and looked upwards. "It's about time I was my-self again," she said quietly. Temari, Gaara, and Kibou looked at Kagetora with confused expressions. Still turned away from them, Kagetora smiled and closed her eyes. She turned her face towards the darkening sky and took a deep breath.

The clouds darkened and thunder boomed as she raised her hands. It started raining. A soft, delicate, warm rain. Wings started forming on Kagetora's back. They were like angels wings. Pure white and large, over twice her size. The soft feathers grew longer as her wings grew. When they were fully grown Kagetora let her arms fall to her sides. The rain kept going, lightning flashing, thunder rolling, the wind picking up. Kibou watched as she spread her wings and then cover her-self in their warmth. They covered her entire body, wrapping themselves around her.

Gaara could tell that she was going to change into her true form. And, as oddly protective as he felt for her, he reached out, trying to touch her wings, to see her. His finger tips gently brushed against the soft, down-feeling of her wings. "Kagetora?" he whispered, his heart beating rapidly. He wasn't going to let her go; she was the only person who could understand his pain. "Please, don't go?" he asked silently. The feathers rustled. Gaara heard a silent weeping.

"G-Gaara-Sama, don't… I don't belong here…" she whispered. Her wings tightened around her. Temari, realizing her little brothers' change in attitude and voice, smiled and picked up Kankuro. _**I think it's best if these two are alone.**_ Temari motioned for Kibou to follow her. He looked back, longingly at Kagetora. But seeing Gaara made him look down. Nodding he followed Tem out of the clearing. Leaving Gaara and Tora alone.

Gaara silently thanked Tem in his mind. He turned to Tora again. "We are alone, you can show yourself," he said gently. Hesitantly, her wings lowered them selves and folded neatly behind her. She was turned away from Gaara, but he could tell that her body had changed. Her normally waist-length, dark-brown hair was now black and frizzy, most like a wild animals. Her arms were crossed in front of her, to hide the roughness of her skin. Her arms had a brown tinge and ruggedness like earth or rocks. Her legs were the opposite element. There were pale blue scales all over her legs.

She turned her head sideways to he could see half of her face. There was intricate, fire coloured designs covering her face. She opened her eyes and looked at Gaara. Instead of her hazel cat eyes, her eyes were normal but they were a stormy grey and seemed to flash, like the lighting. This was her true form as an Elemental. All the elements were combined in her. Her stormy eyes seemed sad and scared. She was waiting for Gaara to shout out in fear or try to kill her.

He just walked closer to her, holding out a hand, as if telling her that it was ok to let him near. She tried her best to cover her-self up; her transformation had shredded her clothes to nothing. Gaara took off his coat and handed it to her, not taking his eyes from hers. She took it with a smile and covered her-self with it. Her wings wouldn't fit into the back so she had to tie the top of the coat around her chest. She looked back at Gaara, blushing, almost hoping that he would turn away from her hideous form. But he kept starring at her.

"G-Gaara-Sama?" she asked quietly. "Does it hurt?" he asked. He was referring to her transformation. She smiled and shook her head. "No, this is my natural form… it won't hurt me. The only way I can get hurt is if someone attacks me while I'm transforming. I can't protect myself," she explained. She noticed Gaara starring at her wings. She remembered him touching her wings before. She unfurled her wings and stretched them out towards Gaara.

He looked a little surprised but he reached out and brushed the palm of his hand over her wings. Feeling their smoothness, he couldn't help but wonder how her body sustained such damage yet her spirit and beauty remained untainted. Kagetora watched as Gaara moved closer, feeling her wings and starring at them in wonder. She smiled. _**No one has ever been this fascinated by me before**_, she thought. She lifted her wings up a little more so the tops were level with his eyes. He cautiously felt through the feathers, feeling for the thin membrane beneath them, feeling their rigid structure.

Kagetora giggled, "That tickles, Gaara-Sama," she said, a small grin on her designed face. _**She looks like something from legend, a painting or an old doll. So surreal yet so alive, **_he thought. He looked at her small face. He loved her eyes, stormy yet calm. He had only known this girl for a day, but he loved her. More than he loved himself or the village. He reached out to her, wanting her to come to him willingly. She did. Her eyes lit up and she stretched out a hand to him.

The rain kept drizzling on the pair as they kissed. Gaara wrapped his arms around Kagetora and pulled her close to him. Kagetora had wound her hands in his shirt, almost afraid that if she let him go, he would disappear. Gaara pulled away from her, blushing a deep red. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that, it was just…" Kagetora finished his sentence for him. "Just a reaction, right?" she smiled. He smiled a real smile, "Heh, yeah, just a reaction," he said. He pulled away more; he didn't know what else to do.

Kagetora's heart sank. _**So he didn't mean it?**_ Her eyes flashed. _**I never should have come! I know I don't belong here! I should have known this would happen! **_"Tell Kankuro-Sama that I'm sorry for what I did to him," she whispered, turning away and spreading her great wings. Gaara looked at her, surprised. _**Am I going to let her go?**_ He shook his head, _**I can't force her to stay with me.**_ "And Gaara-Sama?" she said, looking over her shoulder at him. "Thank you."

Gaara watched, with heart break, as she flew high into the dark night sky. Instead of a light drizzle, it was a heavy down pour. He was drenched head to toe, but still he stood there. Looking out in the direction that he saw her fly in. _**Why did I let her go?**_

A knock sounded at his door 2 weeks later. "Enter," he sighed. Ever since Kagetora Uhisyma left, he's been anything but happy. He stopped talking to Kankuro and Temari. He stopped taking midnight walks, he stopped going to the training fields, and he stopped visiting the town. He closed himself off from everything.

The door opened to reveal Kibou Yari. "Kazekage-Sama, you have a message from Konohagakure, from the Hokage-Sama, Tsunade," he said quickly. From his facial expression, it was something important. Gaara nodded that he would take the message. Kibou walked into the room and handed Gaara a tiny scroll. Gaara took it and read:

To Gaara No Sabaku, Kazekage of Sunagakure, Land of Wind,

Recent events here, in Konohagakure, are strange and unexplainable. Just recently, I have had a visitor of immense importance. She was near-dead when my ANBU found her in the forests. She calls her-self Kagetora Uhisyma. The only garment I found her wearing seemed too familiar to me. It looked like one of your long red coats. She hasn't said a word to us yet but if you know anything of this girl, please contact us. We would like you to fill in the blanks for us.

Sincerely,

Tsunade-Sama,

Hokage of Konohagakure

Land of Fire

"Gaara-Sama?" Kibou asked as Gaara ran out of the room. Gaara's hope and excitement flared at the mentioning of that girls name. He had to see her again.

Tora stood on the rock cliffs of Konoha, starring down at the happy village beneath her. This village was the first village she had ever been to that actually didn't know who she was. No one stared at her or glared. No one said bad things or threw anything. They smiled and waved, saying their good mornings and hello's. She felt happy here.

She remembered the first face she saw when she awoke in a strange place of white walls and white beds. It was supposedly called a "Hospital". A blond haired boy was in her vision when she awoke. He had markings on his cheeks, they almost looked like whiskers. He wore a huge grin on his face and had bright blue eyes. "Hey! I thought that you'd never wake up. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, who are you? How come we found you in the forest all beat up like that? Do you know Gaara? I mean, you were wearing his coat right?" the boys questions wouldn't stop.

Kagetora had just smiled at the boy. He seemed older than she was, but he definitely wasn't more mature. "I'm Kagetora Uhisyma," she had said quietly. The boy named Naruto had held out his hand and said, "Pleased to meet you!" To Kagetora, this boy seemed more enthusiastic than Temari had been. That was yesterday. Since then, Kagetora had been staying with a family called the "Hyuuga's". Kagetora liked this family, especially the eldest daughter, Hinata. She seemed shy, yet knew when to speak and what to say.

Kagetora had often seen her with a boy named Kiba Inuzuka. Whenever Tora saw his messy hair and baggy clothing, she was reminded of Kibou Yari. Hinata and Kiba were apparently engaged and very happy. Then there was Hinata's cousin, Neji Hyuuga, who was apparently of a lower branch of the Hyuuga family. Kagetora had often seen him with a girl named Ten-Ten. It was on the rare occasion that she had seen them kiss or hold hands. Neji apparently was a shy boy when it came to those things.

Kagetora smiled. This village certainly was busy and entertaining. Always so bright and happy. Even the Hokage-Sama was an intriguing character. There was a love triangle too. Naruto Uzumaki loved a girl named Sakura Haruno, but she loved a boy named Sasuke Uchiha. He apparently loved no one but himself, but seemed happier when Sakura and him were alone together. Whether they were dating or not, Kagetora didn't know.

Uhisyma sat down and watched the sun set. It was gorgeous. The pinks, mauve's, blue's and red's all melded together. She sighed. There was unfinished business that she wanted to take care of. But it was too late for that. She closed her eyes and listened to her surroundings. She could hear shouts and laughter from the village beneath her, she could hear the sounds of the wind blowing softly. The sound of birds chirping at their nightly business and she could hear the start of a soft rainfall.

Almost completely relaxed, she almost missed the sound of someone approaching her from behind. She jumped up and whirled around to face her opponent. To her great surprise, Gaara stood there, closely followed by her old friend, Kibou Yari. Caught off guard, she staggered. "G-Gaara-Sama?" she stuttered, unable to believe that she saw him infront of her. Kibou ran forwards and hugged Kagetora. "I thought you had died!" he said, his voice muffled by her hair.

Shocked, she hesitantly hugged him back. "No, I had to leave. I'm sorry if I worried you, Kibou-San," she said quietly. She was still looking at Gaara. His arms were crossed and he had a straight face, he almost looked annoyed. "Yari-San, go to see the Hokage and tell her we have arrived," he said, not looking away from Kagetora.

"Hai, (Yes)," he said, pulling away from Tora. He smiled and then he ran off towards Tsunade-Sama's mansion.

Kagetora and Gaara stood there for a few moments, starring at eachother in disbelief. "Why did you come?" she asked finally, breaking the tense silence. Gaara stepped towards her, "It was a reaction," he said coolly. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. Her black kimono was tight on her and hugged her curves. He didn't notice this; his eyes were only focused on her confused face.

"You are the only person who can understand me. Others just see a strong leader who formerly possessed a demon. You, you see me as a real person. You're the first person I met like that, I don't want that to leave me, I don't want to be alone again," this was the most Kagetora had ever heard him speak. Gaara's eyes were pleading. Kagetora's heart melted; she couldn't say no to him. He was the only other person who actually understood her as well.

She looked down at their joined hands and whispered, "You aren't afraid of me?" Gaara lifted her head. "No. I saw your true form and I still felt the same for you. I can't explain it," he said, looking down into her hazel cat eyes. She smiled and looked into his warm blue eyes. They seemed so distant, yet so inviting. "Gaara-Sama, you love me, don't you?" she asked, amusement in her voice.

He blushed and after a moment he nodded. He leaned in closer to her. He could feel her warm breath on his lips. His lips just barely brushed hers when Tora heard someone coming. She gasped and pulled away, blushing. She pulled away just in time because just then Kibou walked up the hill with Tsunade-Sama.

"Tora! Can I ask you a favor?" Kibou came up to her and grabbed her hand. His pale eyes seemed bright when they looked down into Tora's hazel ones. "Uh, sure, Kibou-San," she said, unsure of what this boy was going to do. "Tora, I don't know why, but I just have this protectiveness for you. And I love you. Now, let me finish," he said when he saw the confused/mad look on her face. She stayed silent and let him finish, "I thought that I loved you, like a boyfriend girlfriend kinda thing? But then I thought about it, and that's not how I love you. Tora, will you please be my adopted sister?" he asked, his eyes full of pleading and hope. Tora had to admit that she never saw this one coming.

She giggled and looked over at Tsunade-Sama. As if reading Tora's mind, Tsunade nodded and smiled. Kagetora looked back at Kibou. "Yeah, Kibou-Kun, I'll be your sister," she said, smiling. She was nearly crushed in a hug after that. Kibou was so happy. He couldn't believe it; he had an Elemental as a sister! She was the girl in his painting. Excited, he turned to the Hokage. "You can sign the legal documents, can't you?" he asked politely. The blonde woman laughed, "Of course, but I want to ask something in return," she said. "Ok, what is it?" Kibou asked. He obviously wanted this bad.

Tsunade shook her head, "Not you, Kibou Yari. It has to be from Kagetora," she finished, looking at the girl leaning on Gaara. Kagetora nodded; she knew this was coming. "What is it, Tsunade-Sama?" she asked. She would do anything to make Kibou happy. Tsunade walked over to Kagetora and pulled her away from Gaara. Gaara's face turned to worry. Tsunade shook her head at him and he tried to calm himself.

"If it hurts her in anyway, forget it," Kibou said, suddenly turning into Tora's protective Brother. "It's only up to Uhisyma to decide," Tsunade said quietly, her voice sounded menacing. Kagetora nodded to Tsunade, "What is it?" she asked, curious to know what the toll for brothership would be.

Tsunade positioned Tora infront of her and placed her hands on Tora's shoulders. Tsunade looked deep into Kagetora's eyes, as if she was searching for some hidden aspect of her soul. Not finding it, she sighed and placed her hand on Tora's forehead. Kagetora realized what Tsunade was doing and made a straight face. "You can't take my memories. I have none," she said quietly. Tsunade looked at Tora, shocked and confused. "How can you have none?" she asked. Tora paused.

"I am an Elemental, Hokage-Sama. I don't know days or years. I only know seasons. You humans rely on days and times for your memories. You can't take my memories because they are all one. All a jumbled mess in my mind. If you try to take them, your mind will overload and it can possibly kill you. So I'm sorry, I can't let that happen," she explained.

Tsunade snatched back her hand as if she were burnt by Tora's explanation. "Thanks for saving me the trouble," she said, looking at her hand. "There was something particular you wanted to know, right? Why not just ask me then?" Tora said. Tsunade looked Tora in the face, "I wanted to know the whole story, nothing skipped out."

Tora walked back to Gaara, "You know, no matter what or who you are, it's always best to ask first," she said. Then she turned to face the Hokage, "If you want to know a story, just ask me? It saves you trouble." Tsunade nodded. _**This girl has amazing control over her emotions and has a lot of wisdom for a 17 year old kid, **_Tsunade thought. She smiled, _**and now she has a family to care for her, the way she deserves.**_

A year has passed and Kagetora and Gaara are still dating. They had decided to come back to Konoha to visit Naruto and the others. Well, actually, it was Kagetora's idea; Gaara didn't really want to go. When Gaara, Kagetora, Temari, Kibou, and Kankuro, with persuading from Temari, came to Konoha, they found the village completely deserted. No one greeted them as they walked through the village's empty streets. "Wait here," Kagetora said. Her back hunched over as wings sprouted from her shoulders.

She took off, high into the air, and circled the village in hopes of seeing someone. She waved her arm and the winds blew softly, picking up scents and carrying them to her nose. She smelt people, but they were on the other side of the village; near the rock faces of past Hokage's. Tora flew back to the others and signaled them to follow her. They did. Jumping roof to roof, they followed her while she flew ahead.

Tora drifted down, her wings folding in and disappearing into her back as she got closer to the ground. She jumped down infront of the others and signaled for them to be quiet. She crouched low and as she started walking forward, she transformed into a silver coloured cat. She kept walking, tail low and ears perked up for any sound. Gaara smiled and followed her. Kankuro was at the back of the line and was following the others hesitantly. "Come on Kankuro! The others could be in trouble!" Temari whispered angrily, grabbing her brothers' shirt front and pulling him behind her.

Neko Tora looked back at Gaara with a stern face. He knew what it meant. He signaled the others to stay put. Then he followed Tora quietly around the corner. Kagetora transformed back to her human form and whispered quickly and quietly. "You stay here with Temari-Chan and the others. I'll scout ahead in disguise and see what's going on. I'll report back soon. Don't move a muscle, don't go anywhere, and whatever you hear, don't come in after me, ok?" Gaara looked at her face and whispered, "Ok, but be careful, alright? We don't know who's here," he was hesitating; he was scared for her. Tora nodded.

She transformed as a black cat and trotted off, ears laid back and tail twitching in anxiety. Gaara walked quietly back to the group and told them what was going on. Kankuro just snorted, "I could care less if she returns or not," he said, looking away, an expression of disgust on his face. Tem slapped him, "Do you realize that she's risking her life right now? And how do you still hold a grudge for what she did to you A YEAR AGO!?" she whispered hotly. Just as Kankuro opened his mouth to reply, Kibou shushed him and said, "Listen!" Gaara closed his eyes and listened hard for the sound.

Then they all heard it. In the direction that Kagetora had left in, there were shouts of anger and the thud of metal striking wood and ground. Gaara's heart skipped a beat and his eyes widened as he turned to face the direction of the sounds. "She's in trouble!" he said, more to himself. Kibou reached up and pulled Gaara back down to sit. "She told you to wait here, no matter what, remember? Trust her, won't you?" Tora's foster brother whispered.

Gaara's heart beat rapidly as he nodded and sat down. Temari was glaring at Kankuro, as if daring him to comment. He just looked away, trying to pull of the innocent look. Tem grinned evilly and looked at Gaara. "She's gonna be ok. She's an Elemental, remember?" she said, trying to make him relax.

As Kagetora, disguised as a black cat, entered the clearing, she saw, to her horror, that nearly the whole village was in shackles and chains and were crowded together. Surrounding them were at least 1000 men, carrying weapons that were foreign to her. They were black and the front part of it was rounded and hollow. There was a small latch that all the men had their fingers on. Gaara had mentioned these weapons to her once, they were fairly new. He had called them "Rifles." Tora had seen pictures of the victims of these awful weapons.

She was scared, but she approached a man standing near her. She rubbed herself against his leg and purred loudly. The man looked down and jumped back. Then he turned to another man who seemed to be the leader, "I thought we killed all the animals?" Tora looked up, shocked. _**They killed all the animals?!**_ The man she had rubbed against threw a kunai at her, but she dodged and it hit the ground. Tora trotted to the prisoners of Konoha and picked her way through the crowd till she stood near Tsunade.

Tora jumped into Tsunade's lap then onto her shoulder. Tora started licking her paw. Telecommunication wasn't Tora's strong point but she did this now with Tsunade. _What's going on, Hokage-Sama? What happened here?_ She asked. Tsunade seemed shocked and looked around for someone who was speaking to her. _It's me Tsunade-Sama. It's Tora; I'm the cat on your shoulder. No, don't look at me, they might suspect. To answer back just think what you're going to say and imagine yourself sending the message to me. Push your thought into my mind._

Tsunade did, _these men had taken over Konoha two days ago. They rounded up the livestock and other animals and killed them. They say they came for someone important, but we don't know who. We are starving and frightened. The babies haven't eaten, the children are scared to even cuddle with their mothers. They weep silently and alone. A lot of our men have been shot because they tried to escape. Kagetora, I'm begging you, do something! _Tora looked over the crowd of heads. Their was a countless amount of people here. How was she going to save all of them? How was she going to fight all the men by her-self? Tora nodded at Tsunade and jumped off her shoulder. _Where are you going? Do you have a plan?_ Tsunade asked, panicking.

_Relax, I got it covered,_ Tora said. Tora trotted over to the children. They were separated from their families. Tora sat in the middle of the group and mewed loudly. One of the men looked over and saw the cat. He walked over, picked up said cat and threw her away. The children gasped and a few of them started crying. Tora landed on her feet and jumped at the man who threw her. _**And so it begins**_, she thought, as she scratched and bit the man's face.

Shouting, the man clawed at the cat, trying to get her off of him. Some other men started chuckling and walked over to help. Tora looked around, their was at least ten men there. She sighed inwardly, _**That will have to do,**_ she thought. Transforming her-self at lightning speed, she attacked the men as a poisonous snake. She bit each man twice and injected him with venom. One by one they fell down, screaming and writhing in agony.

She transformed into a hawk just as one man tried to shoot at her. The shot echoed loudly through the clearing. She looked down triumphantly. She had bitten 11 or 12 men and med-nin rushed to their aid. She whirled around and dived at the med-nin, cawing loudly. Then at the last second she dropped onto their heads as a bear. She could feel the cracking and splintering of their bones beneath her great paws. The screams and cries of extreme pain reached her ears. A shot echoed and she felt a jolt of excruciating pain on her left shoulder.

She roared and couldn't hold her transformation any longer. She turned into her human form again and grasped her shoulder tightly but the blood was already pouring from the wound. Panting she looked around for her attacker. He stood behind her and had the tip of the "rifle" pointed at her head. She gasped and stiffened. She could feel the blood dripping down her back and the sting of the metal embedded within her skin. She felt dizzy all of a sudden, from her blood loss. "There'll be no more transformin' for ya, little miss," he whispered cruelly to her. Then he looked behind him and shouted, "I think we've finally foun' wha' we've been searching for!"

As Kagetora sat still in the damp darkness, she thought of Gaara, the love of her life, and Kibou, her beloved brother. She didn't want to be taken away. Gaara had been teaching her to read and was the only person who truly accepted her. She wasn't willing to let him go. She winced as her shoulder throbbed. It hadn't been tended to, on account of she nearly killed the medics. They were at the point where they were begging for death anyways. They weren't much use. She glanced at her left shoulder. It still bled heavily, but it had slowed. The bullet, as the men called them, had been removed but she was still in pain. She had never felt pain like that before.

She had heard the enemy get ready to leave the village. They had gotten what they wanted now there was no reason to stay. She had even heard that some of the men were going to "Have Fun" with her, to make this whole trip worth while. Tora was not going to wait for that to happen.

Tora took a deep breathe and raised her arms what she could; they were chained to a wall. She whispered words in her tongue and called upon the wind to help her. The wind answered her call. It started whipping the trees above her and the air currents went through the bars of her cellar prison. The wind that reached her caressed her back and her shoulder. Her pain subsided and the bleeding stopped. With her shoulder healed and the pain a dull throb, the wind died down as instantly as it had picked up.

She could hear the men's voices, whispering and talking quickly, panicking. She could smell the stench of their fear rolling off them in waves. She wrinkled her nose at the disgusting smell. She let her arms fall to her sides as the door to her underground prison opened. The one who shot her stood infront of her. She scowled at him. He was the one who caused her pain, now her and the Elements were angered.

He knelt down infront of her and grabbed her chin in his huge hand. "Now, now, don't be so mad, little miss. We are tryin' ta be nice to ya'. Were ya the one who made the winds pick up?" he smiled. His yellow and rotting teeth flashed and Tora could smell the reek of this man's breath. Chewing tobacco and sake (Japanese Rice Wine) reached her nose. Because her nose is sensitive, the smell stung and her eyes watered. "Now, no, don' ya go cryin' on me, littl' miss. I can' hurt ya all tha' bad," his gross teeth flashed in a disgusting, evil grin. His thin cracked lips came close to her face. She knew all too well what was on this man's mind.

She pulled her face away, bared her fangs, and snapped at his hand. He pulled away fast and gave a small yelp; she had caught his skin. He scowled as he looked at his hand. Kagetora grinned, baring her teeth. She could taste his blood in her mouth. Even his blood tasted tainted to her. She licked her lips and her teeth, cleaning them off. Then she spat out the blood and it struck his boot. "I'd get that patched up, if I was you," she said, still grinning. "I injected a fast moving poison into your body."

She watched in amusement as his eyes widened and he started sucking on the wound, trying to pull out the poison. Tora giggled, "That won't work, baka. If you don't get help now, you'll be dead within the next, oh say, one minute?" she said. He stood up and backhanded her, "Ya connivin' littl' bitch! I don' know wha' they see in ya anyway." He said, as he stormed out of her cellar prison. In the next moment she could hear him shouting for help, then the thud of his body falling to the ground, near dead and writhing as her poison seeped into his blood stream and attacked his heart, kidneys, liver, and brain.

She heard shouts of the other men as they tried to wake him and feel his pulse. She smiled in satisfaction as they pronounced him dead. Her pain so far was worth it. She had killed 11 men and critically injured two others. She was proud of herself. It had only been two hours since she left Kibou and the others. Then her mind wandered, yet again, back to Kibou-Chan, Gaara-Chan, Temari-Chan, and Kankuro-San. She started to worry about them. What if they panicked about her? They would surely try to save her, and get themselves killed.

She pulled at her chains, trying to break free. Unable to do so, she transformed into a snake and slid through. _**Now, why didn't I think of that before?**_ She asked, mentally kicking her-self for her stupidity. She transformed her-self into an insect and flew out of the stuffy, damp cellar and into the light and fresh air of the clearing. She had to find Shino. She buzzed around in the air, searching for the Aburame child. Seeing him, she flew quickly towards him. Landing on his head she talked to the other insects and told them to tell Shino that she had a plan.

As Gaara sat, drumming his fingers on the ground, he waited in agony for the return of his beloved. He had heard cries and screams of pain, then he heard a shot and everything had gone quiet for nearly an hour. Then he panicked again as he heard more shouts and then silence once more. He figured that Kagetora must be picking them off, one by one. Lowering their attack numbers. Temari glanced at her baby brother and frowned. He just couldn't stay still. He was either drumming his fingers, tapping his leg, twitching his knee, or looking around.

"She's ok, Gaara. Just you see. She has the Elements on her side remember? I mean, what can they really do..." she was cut off as a swarm of insects flew infront of the group and formed themselves into a sign. Organizing themselves into lettering, their message read, "Kagetora is safe. A plan is in action. 11 of 1000 killed, two gravely wounded. When the signal comes, sneak in through the forests and free the prisoners and lead them to safety." Kibou smiled, "I knew she would pull through! Wow, there are really 1000 men? This won't be easy," he said, looking worriedly at Gaara.

"It doesn't have to be easy, just as long as it's fun!" said Temari, standing up, jamming her fist into the air. "So, attack from the forests, huh? That means we've got too spend all day, laying low, not doing anything, and then being some girl's back up as she saves the day?" Kankuro said angrily. Gaara looked at him, "Yeah, that's right. You got a problem with that?" he said evilly. Kankuro grinned, "You know, as long as I can kill someone, I'm all good."

Kagetora sat as a bird on Naruto Uzumaki's shoulder. Confused at the robin on him, he tried to shake her off. She twittered angrily, flapping her wings, trying to get her balance. _Stop it Naruto-Kun! It's me, Kagetora!_ She said telepathically. Naruto stopped and stared at her, wide eyed. _Listen closely, I have a plan to get all of you out of here, and you play a very important role._ Naruto grinned and glanced at Sasuke, who was just infront of him. Then he nodded slightly and Kagetora explained her plan.

_I need you to escort all of the women and children into the forests. You will meet Gaara-Chan, Temari-Chan, Kankuro-San, and Kibou-Chan. They will help you and give you orders from there. Try to tell Sasuke-kun, Sakura-Chan, Hinata-Chan, Neji-kun, Kiba-kun, Lee-kun, Shikamaru-kun, Ino-Chan, Chouji-kun, and Ten-Ten-Chan, ok? Don't worry about anyone else, but tell those people to escort the other villagers into the forests. And when you get to the men, tell them that there will be a battle, if they wish to fight. I will have all your weapons returned to you. Can you get the message out, Naruto-Kun?_

Naruto nodded slowly. He slowly slid himself to Sakura and the others. Kagetora flapped her wings and flew off. Circling the huge group of villagers. Could she get them all to safety? She couldn't ensure it, but she sure as hell was going to try. She dipped down towards Kakashi-Sensei and Gai-Sensei, planning to ready all the jounin for a great battle.

As Gaara settled down in the tall tree's and viewed the clearing, he was searching longingly for Tora. He couldn't see her. He saw a squirrel sitting on Iruka-Sensei's shoulder, but that was it. No Kagetora Uhisyma. He paused and looked back to Iruka-Sensei. He had a serious look on his face and he seemed to be nodding ever so slightly. The squirrel was chittering happily in his ear. Gaara smiled. Kagetora was defiantly a smart girl. Then he viewed the crowd again.

It seemed the whole village knew a part of the plan that they had to perform. The children were searching the crowd's for their mothers, the men were taking large breath's and looking for the perfect man to fight against. The women were all crowding together, whispering silently amongst themselves, trying to pick out children and loved ones. The young ninja, like Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura were all gathered together, closer to the forest and measuring the amount of people that were in the area. The jounin were clenching their fists and their faces thoughtful or stern, thinking up plans of attack.

Temari noticed this too and she smiled, "What did I tell ya?" she said, nudging her youngest brother, "I told you she'd be alright. She's even got the enemy riled up." Tem was right. The men kept glancing about the clearing and into a cellar near the area. They gripped their weapons tightly and shifted around constantly. Gaara smiled, Kagetora sure knew how to win a battle of outstanding odds.

Then he noticed that the squirrel on Iruka-Sensei's shoulder had disappeared. It was coming. The whole entire area grew tense and stuffy with apprehension. A shout startled them all into jumping where they sat or stood, "She's gone! She's not here! Sound the alarm, she could be anywhere!" The men immediately cocked their guns and watched every corner of the clearing.

Then a loud giggle echoed through the clearing. It came from all directions. The men aimed at everything. The trees, the sky, the ground, even the crowd of people. The giggling got louder. "You think you can harm the wind?" it whispered, scaring the men and villagers both. A huge gust of wind came up and blew the 100 some-odd uniformed men off their feet. "Gaara, NOW!" came a shout at the other end of the clearing.

That's the signal, and they were off. Gaara, Temari, Kibou, and Kankuro jumped from the trees and landed in the clearing. They immediately set to work, breaking the locks and chains on the villagers. Some of the men had gotten up from being blown back and attacked the Suna Shinobi. Kankuro and Karasu got in their way. "Boo," he said, then laughed as Karasu split its limbs and attacked the men.

Naruto and the other young ninjas were one of the first one's set free and they jumped from person to person unlocking their chains and helping them up. They pointed the villagers to the forest and told them to go to the front gate and await further instruction. If they could fight, they were welcome to stay and help. The men all stayed and some of the women did. Iruka had set free the children and protected them from attacks as they ran into the forest, calling for their mothers and fathers. The jounin, Kakashi-Sensei, Gai-Sensei, Kurenai-Sensei, Asuma-Sensei, Shizune-Sama, and Anko-Sensei and others all formed a line behind the villagers, being their line of defense from the enemy. Men of the village joined their ranks.

Everything was a confused and jumbled rush. The jounin panicked a little; they had no weapons as of yet. But their fear was soon vanquished. Kagetora in her human form came running in from behind enemy lines and was pulling a huge wagon behind her. It held all the village's weapons and armors. She skidded to halt infront of the jounin and then spun around to face her attackers. She spread her arms out and shouted, "Deadly Fears: Fading Death Of Water!" then she clapped her hands together over her head.

The hundred men standing there suddenly dropped their guns and clawed at their throats. They were all trapped in a fatal genejutsu. Kagetora started panting as she held still, concentrating on keeping so many men in the genejutsu. Kakashi and Gai handed out the weapons as fast as they could, trying to ready themselves before the rest of the men could get together. So far, Kagetora had only killed little over a hundred men and there were roughly 800 more to go.

Kagetora let her arms fall as the men collapsed infront of her, their eyes wide, pupils narrowed in fear and their mouths open, gasping for air even in their death. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she spun around and grabbed the arm of her attacker. But she paused just in time to see Gaara's scared face. "Oh, Gaara!" she cried, jumping at him and catching him in a hug. "Heh, you did so great, Tora, I'm proud of you," he said softly into her hair, holding her head with one arm and her waist with the other.

Tora didn't say anything or look up. "Kagetora? You ok?" he asked, concerned. He heard a soft sniffling. "What's wrong, Kagetora? You did great, why are you crying?" he asked, lifting her chin so she would face him. Her eyes were red from crying and she was trembling from head to foot. "I've never…I've never killed anyone before…" she muttered quietly, sniffing and trying to hide her face again. Gaara hugged her tighter and let her wipe her tears on his coat. "It's ok, you had to. They were going to kill the villagers. You did what's right and you saved all of them. No one could ask more," he said calmly, trying to forget how he used to be, thirsting for blood his entire life.

Tora pulled away and looked up into Gaara's loving eyes. She placed her hands on his chest and stood on her tip-toes to kiss him. He smiled and leaned down, meeting her lips. He hugged her close and cupped her cheek in his hand, pulling her head a little closer.

Kagetora gasped as she fell to the ground. Her eyes were wide with shock as she knelt in the dirt, panting heavily. A huge shuriken was sticking in her back. Gaara instantly charged at the man who threw it, his sand floating in the air. "Suna Shigure! (Sand Drizzle)" he shouted once he stopped running. He threw his arms out infront of him. The sand in the air compressed itself into several sand kunai and hurled themselves at the man. He dodged and came at Gaara with incredible speed.

"Die, you worthless bastard," Gaara muttered. "Sabaku Kyu (Desert Coffin)" he clenched his hand into a fist infront of him. His sand flew at the man and covered him completely, weighing him down. Gaara grinned, "Desert Funeral." The sand compressed itself tightly and within moments, Gaara could see blood stains soaking through his sand. Gaara released the jutsu, feeling his bloodlust return.

He turned back to see Kagetora. She wasn't there. He looked around wildly, trying to see over the many battles and people running around. "Gaara!" a scream echoed through his mind. He whirled around, only to be stabbed in the stomach with a few kunai. Everything seemed to be going in slow motion for Gaara. The sounds of battle slowed, his stumbling backwards and falling seemed to take forever.

"Gaara!" a girl called him. She sounded so far away, so distant. He closed his eyes and reached out with his hands, asking for help. His feet left the ground and he fell heavily into the dirt. "Gaara!" the girls' voice was screaming now and seemed closer. "Gaara!" her voice wasn't slow anymore. In fact, all the other sounds in the clearing were normal now. "Gaara are you ok?" the girls' voice was worried and shaking like she was crying. _**I know that voice, **_Gaara thought, fighting off the darkness that threatened to consume him. _**I don't…want to die, not yet, **_he thought. He slowly opened his eyes to see Kagetora's worried face. Her long, dark-brown hair flowed down around his head, her sharp features tight with worry and her hazel cat eyes narrowed.

"Gaara?" she asked above the sounds of shouts and weapons clashing. "A-are you…ok, Tora? You were…hurt…" he managed to choke out. He could feel his lungs filling up with his own blood. He looked into her face with fear in his eyes. "I'm fine, don't talk Gaara. It's going to be ok!" she said, her eyes becoming bright with tears. It was getting harder to breathe for him. His heart beat quickened when he saw Tora sit back and place her hands on his chest. The earthy browns and green's glowed around her hands as she healed him. His eyes started closing slowly, growing heavy. His heart beat slowed, _**it's too late, she can't help me,**_ he thought. _Thump thump…_his chest really hurt to move with his breathing, _thump..thump,_ his heart beat slowed a little more …_thump…thump…_ "Gaara, no! Don't give up, please!" he could feel Tora's hot tears on his face. _**Kagetora…I-I'm sorry I couldn't protect you…**_ he wanted desperately to talk to her.

_Thump……thump……_his breathing was labored. The world was spinning, he closed his eyes to make it stop. "Gaara, no, please!" she whispered into his ear. He could feel her brush away his hair from his sweat soaked face. "T-Tora…" he whispered. _Thump……_"I love you," he said with his last breath. His head fell softly to the side, lifeless. "NO! Gaara, hold on! Please!" she cried. She held her hands over his body again and this time her whole body glowed a flashing grey.

As her sadness and anger boiled within her, a storm was on its way. The wind picked up, whipping her hair out of her face. The battle continued around her but her only focus was on Gaara. "Come on, Gaara, come on! You can't leave me!" her tears fell onto his chest. Lightning struck a tree nearby and thunder crashed loudly. Then it poured rain. It soaked everything instantly, but still the battles were fought.

"Gaara!" she screamed. Her body looked like it was consumed in a silver flame. Gaara didn't respond. The colour faded from his still body. "No!" she cried. She threw herself onto Gaara, covering his body with hers. She cried into his chest, clutching his hand. She looked up at his still face. _**He just looks like he's sleeping…**_ she positioned herself to sit over his stomach, and then she leaned down, holding herself up with one arm while she held up his head with the other.

The rain fell softly now, and Kagetora watched as it ran down his face. Tora leaned down and kissed him. Her body still alight with her silver flame, she held Gaara's head and kissed him as thought that is what would bring him back to her.

_Thump……_Tora pulled away and looked as his body remained unmoving. _Thump……thump……__**Kagetora…**_

Kagetora screamed her anger. She instantly turned into her true form. Her shoulders sported her angel wings. Her hair was black and frizzy. Her eyes were storms and flashed with the lightning of her anger. Her chest, arms and stomach turned to a stone like appearance. From her waist down she grew scales and webbed feet. Her face was covered in symbols in a fiery red colour and finally her hands turned metallic silver as they contained pure earth metals.

_Thump…thump…__**I don't…**_

Her anger brewed and she had to let it out. She flapped her great wings, spraying the water everywhere, and took off into the air. An old memory flashed into her mind;_ don't use it unless you have too…__**Sasuke's face showed worry that day.**_ Kagetora smiled, _**I have to use it…**_

"Katon: Hosenka No Jutsu! (Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique)" she yelled, holding pressed fingertips to her mouth as she blew. A huge roaring flame burst forth as she swooped down over her enemies. She could hear the rain sizzle as it struck her fire. Quite a few of the men caught fire and screamed in agony. She ended the technique and started another. Making hand signs she shouted, "Destiny Encampment: Impending Doom!"

_Thump…thump…__** I … don't want to die…**_

She locked her wings into a dive and hurtled towards the ground. She punched the ground so hard that it actually started an earthquake. "Earthen Graves!" she shouted, placing her other hand on the ground. The ground split open, engulfing her enemies. It looked like their was only a few hundred men left. Her heart jolted with excitement.

_Thump..thump.. __**Tora…I don't want to die…**__thump thump…__**not yet…**__thump thump_

Kagetora landed infront of a large group of 15-20 men. _Force your chakra out through a specific point in your hand…__**Hinata looked so pretty that day.**_"Juuken!" she shouted, doing exactly what Hinata had told her to do. She shoved her chakra out as she hit each man on the chest above his heart. They dropped to the ground. She shook her head, trying to get the rain out of her eyes.

_**Kagetora…I won't die, not yet…**__thump thump…thump thump…__**don't cry, don't let the rain be your cover up for your tears…**__thump thump…thump thump…__**don't be in pain…**_

"Kagetora-Chan!" someone called for her. She turned to look. Kibou was in the mud on the ground and his attacker stood over him, a bloody axe in one hand. He raised it, "KAGETORA!" Kibou screamed, covering his head in his arms. "What do you think you're doing to my brother?" she asked the man from behind. He spun around, swinging his axe at her head. When it came within two inches of her head, it made contact with her silver flame and shattered. The man looked at his axe in shock. "Kibou, leave," she said, not taking her eyes from the man before her.

As Kibou ran, she uncrossed her arms and placed them on the man's arm. His eyes widened as the bones in his arm broke with the touch of her finger. He cried out and dropped into the mud, clutching his arm. She punched his head downwards then kneed him in the face, shattering his nose. His blood melded with the rain and other blood streams flowing across the ground. He died slowly and in pain, as Kagetora had intended.

_**Tora, can't you hear me breathing? Where is your sweet voice, calling me from the darkness? **__Thump thump…thump thump…thump thump…_

Kagetora looked around at her surroundings. The men who were left were surrendering. Only 100 men, at the most. Tora felt no sympathy or sorrow for those men. She looked around at the bodies on the ground, totaling up the cost of war. Most of them were the enemies, wearing their blue and grey uniforms, but Konohagakure suffered some losses. Kakashi and the other jounin were separating the friends from foes. Piling the bodies of their enemies and making makeshift stretchers for Konoha's dead. Med-nin were tending to the wounded. _**Maybe I can help, **_she thought as she walked over.

_**Kagetora…even though the fight is over, I feel your pain…why are you crying inside?...**__thump thump…thump thump…thump thump…_

"We've got a live one here who needs immediate medical attention!" a man called. Tora looked over. _**No…it…it can't be…he was dead…**_ "Gaara!" she screamed. She ran over to him and shoved the man out of her way. "Gaara, please, answer me. Are you ok?" she asked softly. Gaara's eyes fluttered open. "Y-yeah…" he closed them again. _**Kagetora, your beautiful voice, your gorgeous face… you always save me…**__thump thump, thump thump, thump thump, thump thump. _His heart beat quickened once he saw Kagetora's fiery designed face; her true form. She saved his life, he didn't know how, but she did, and he wasn't about to let that go. He sighed, he was alive and was glad for the soft rain on his face. It covered his tears.

As Kagetora slept by Gaara's side back in the Suna village, Gaara was awake and contemplating everything that had happened. Konoha was attacked 2 weeks ago, Kagetora saved them a little over a week ago. Gaara had been in the hospital for sometime after that, and Tora had never left his side. When Gaara had gotten out, the Hokage and others were waiting for them. They had put together a ceremony for them, honoring Gaara, Temari, Kibou, and Kankuro. Kagetora tried to hide behind Gaara. She thought that because nearly everyone in the village had seen her true form, they would hate her.

In reality, they thought she was fascinating and loved her for everything she had to suffer for them. She had stayed behind Gaara even when Tsunade-Sama called her forward. When her name was called out, the whole village had cheered. Gaara smiled and shoved her forward. The crowd only grew louder. Tsunade had handed each of them a Medal of Honor and a certificate that said they were true heroes of Konohagakure and Sunagakure. Kagetora had accepted the certificate and medal hesitantly, then immediately hid behind Gaara again.

As an interesting fact, Hinata and Kiba got married that day. They invited the whole village to come. Hinata wanted Kagetora to be her Maid of Honor. Kagetora agreed. Kiba had wanted Gaara to be his Best Man. Reluctantly, Gaara had agreed. It was a beautiful wedding. The only sad thing was, Hinata's father never showed. It didn't seem to matter to Hinata though, as her cousin, Neji, had showed and gave her a hug. Gaara didn't really pay attention to any of that, his eyes were fixed on Tora the whole time. She looked so beautiful in that periwinkle kimono.

Gaara smiled at that memory. He looked down at her head resting on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her a little closer. She pressed herself against him and sighed. "You don't have to pretend to sleep, Kagetora," he said grinning. She giggled and looked up at him. "How did you know?" she asked, amusement in her hazel cat eyes. "You're a horrible liar," he said quietly, cupping her cheek in his hand. She smiled and moved up to his face. "You know me too well," she said sitting on him in the darkness of their home.

Grabbing her hands, Gaara looked up into her eyes, "On the contrary. After almost two years I still don't get everything about you," he said. She leaned down and kissed him, "You don't have to," she whispered. He smiled and pulled her down on the bed beside him. Then he turned to her and squeezed her rib-cage. She burst out laughing. She tried to squirm away from him but he came after her. Then he grabbed her arms before she could tickle him. "It looks like I know just enough about you," he said. She giggled then pulled away from his grasp and grabbed at his rib cage. "I'm not ticklish, remember?" He smiled at her face. "That is SO not fair!" she said, moving away from him.

He grabbed her around her stomach and pulled her back to him. "I won't tickle you anymore, I'm sorry," he said quietly, hugging her close. She rolled over to face him and kissed him. "It's ok, it's still fun," she whispered. Gaara was lying on his side, as her head rested on his arm. His mind was whirling with the past memories. The memory of when they first met came to mind, _Tora looked down at him, smiling and holding out her hand, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. It's just a reaction…_

Then the memory of her fighting his sister, _Tora stood infront of Temari. "Rule 1 of combat, don't ever underestimate your opponent, no matter their size or appearance," Tora said coolly. She closed the great fan and tossed it at Tem, "You'll need this," she said._ Temari was amazed at Kagetora. Kankuro was always just pissed at her. Kibou became her brother and Gaara him-self, Gaara had become her lover. _**Just a lover? **_No, Gaara wanted more; he wanted to make sure they were together forever.

"Tora? Can you get up for a minute?" he asked softly, his heart racing. "Yeah, sure. What is it Gaara?" she asked. She sat up in bed and watched as he got up and pulled on his clothes. "Where are you going?" she asked. He grabbed her hand and silently asked, "Come with me, please?" Tora nodded. She just put on a light, summer kimono and followed him out of their house.

He held her hand while he walked to a building at the far edge of town. On the walk there he had his free hand inside his pocket. It toyed with the small box inside. When they got to the building, they entered silently. Tora gasped. It was so beautiful. The inside was completely empty except for soft rugs and pillows on the ground and the artwork that decorated the rice-paper and wood walls. The rugs and pillows were positioned in a circle around a large Sakura Tree. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and it smelled so sweet in the room. "I've never been here, what is this place?" she asked in amazement.

"My special place. I just had it built a while ago. I come here to think," he said, leading her to the Sakura Tree. He turned to her, his heart beating so hard that he was sure Kagetora could hear it. She looked so confused. "Why are we here? If it's your special place, why would you bring me here?" she asked, still looking around in wonder at the room. "Kagetora Uhisyma, I want to share everything with you," he said, getting down on one knee. He looked up into her face. Her eyes widened and her hands were over her mouth.

He pulled the tiny box out from his pocket and opened it. Inside, there was a ring of several different colours. The colours intertwined themselves. White, light blue, fiery red, soft green, silver, light brown and a soft purple hue were twisting together throughout this ring. Kagetora gasped as Gaara took the ring from the box and grabbed her hand. "It has the colours of the Elements combined in it, like me! White for the wind, the blue for water, green for earth, red for fire, purple for lightning, brown for the animals, and silver for metals! Gaara how did you…?" Gaara cut her off with a small pleading look. _**Don't ask, **_his eyes seemed to say. Kagetora nodded.

"Kagetora Uhisyma, will you marry me?" he asked, shaking with nervousness. Kagetora's eyes were brimming with tears. She paused for a long while, prolonging Gaara's agony. Then she nodded her head vigorously, "Yeah, Gaara. Yes, I will," she said, tears running down her face. She waited for Gaara to slide her beautiful ring onto her finger. Once he did that she knelt down and tackled him in a huge hug.

She smiled as she heard his laugh. That was the first time he'd ever actually laughed. This was the happiest day of her life. She couldn't believe it, she was getting married! Almost 19, she was marrying a Kazekage too! With Gaara almost 20 and Kazekage, they would surely have a great life together.

They stayed there that night, in the Sakura Hanare, (a small, traditional Japanese building that is very house like). They spent the night talking and sharing their love for eachother. Their wedding was the following month and was beautiful. People from Konoha were invited. Kagetora and Gaara never again felt alone or felt like no one understood them. Kankuro finally forgave Tora, (for what, we will never know). Kibou met a girl later on and started dating her. Temari moved to Konoha sometime later. Guess who she moved in with? Shikamaru Nara. They started dating too.

Later on, a little less than a year later, Hinata and Kiba had their first child. They named him Max Inuzuka. He looked like his dad. Brown hair, huge grin, always happy and eager to learn something new. But he was like his mum too, his eyes had the Byakugan, he was very intelligent, and never gave up. Naruto Uzumaki was even his idol. Kagetora and Gaara became his "Aunt and Uncle" but they were really his godparents.

Now, it's never said what happened with Kagetora and Gaara, but, you never know what goes on behind closed doors.

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!! and my idea is to go back and take out the ending and continue this series!!! please let me know what you think!!!!


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